Five Stages of Life
by Becca Stareyes
Summary: Five inter-connected vignettes covering the lives of Temma of Arylle (known as Aerich) and Tazendra of Daavya, and their relationship.
1. A Chance Childhood Encounter

This fic is five interconnected vignettes featuring Aerich and Tazendra from their childhoods to their deaths, under the themes of 'Five Stages of Life'. The first is set during their respective childhoods, before the death of Tazendra's parents.

* * *

It had been the custom when Temma's father was Duke to call the barons and counts that looked to him to Arylle for the New Year. As his father became more important in Her Majesty's court, these meetings became irregular, whenever he had time to visit Arylle for the days needed to prepare such. It was understood by Temma that, when he came of age and completed his studies, he would most likely govern Arylle in his father's absence. Thus, he was expected to know something of the liegemen and women under Arylle's wing.

The first such meeting where Temma was permitted by his tutors to attend was rather memorable, as, sometime during the afternoon, a servant interrupted to inform those gathered, in apologetic terms, that the Baron and Baroness of Daavya's daughter had disappeared from her nurse's company and would her parents know what places she was likely to find of interest? (They had already alerted the men-of-arms, of course, with the hopes that a Dzur child would be naturally drawn to guards when left to her own devices.)

Temma's father was not willing to rule out foul play. Even then, before Arylle's fall, his father had enemies, though the child of a vassal was an unlikely hostage, especially considering her parents' House. He bid Temma to coordinate the search.

For Temma's part, this did not take much effort: he knew the servants and knew that they knew the residence. But there were places that went forgotten by adults. Temma no longer considered himself a child, though he had not yet reached his majority, but he was not so old to have forgotten childhood. Thus, after ensuring that he could be located by his father's steward, he examined the crawl-spaces, now a tight fit for him. A Dzur, even a child, would not hide there unless ordered, but she might well have gotten curious and gone exploring.

After nearly an hour of crawling and stooping, he turned a corner and found his target. "Ally or enemy?" she demanded as she attempted to roll back onto her feet from the crawling position she'd been moving in. Temma only dimly recalled what the child looked like, and the light he had brought was weak, but he could see her House from her face. And only a Dzur or a Dragon would think it was appropriate to challenge a stranger.

Temma sighed. "As I am the son of the duke whose residence you are currently in, and, moreover, the son of of the duke who holds your parents' oaths, I am most certainly an ally."

She considered that, and nodded. "Well, you are a Lyorn like His Grace is. Have you found my nurse?" she asked. "Um, my lord?"

"How, your nurse?"

"We were out walking, when she went missing. So I went to locate and rescue her."

He raised an eyebrow. True, to a child, that might seem perfectly reasonable: that there was no difference between those adults set to minding children and the children themselves. It made Temma quite grateful that he had no younger siblings. "She is well, and safe, and worried about you."

"Well, I do not wish to worry her."

"Then, if you will follow me, we will alleve her worries."

Temma remembered being irritated by the incident, though his father later remarked that the child was clearly taking after her parents in drive, and made mention of some history that Temma should familiarize himself with.

Thus, he was not terribly surprised when it was the Baron and Baroness of Daavya who his father had asked to guard him when politics took a turn for the worse. Nor, at the lengths they were willing to go to.

- x -

Centuries later, he asked Tazendra if she remembered the incident.

"Bah, can one be expected to remember all the mischief of one's childhood?" she replied.

He shrugged. "It was merely a curious thought."

* * *

The Dragaeran timeline estimates Aerich is approximately 50 years older than Tazendra. This fic is set some years before both of them lost their parents; so Tazendra is in her 20s and Aerich is in his 70s. (I'm making educated guesses at roughly how mature that is, since Dragaeran ages don't linearly correspond to 'Easterner' ages.) Also, canon suggests Tazendra may not be Tazendra's name at birth, but it's not like canon gives us what it would be. So she goes unnamed here, save for the end.


	2. An Conversation Regarding Intimates

Set during the events of _The Phoenix Guards_

* * *

It was not normally Tazendra's custom to spend her evenings alone, but both Aerich and Pel excused themselves on business - though she suspected Pel's business was of a more _intimate_ nature than Aerich's - and Khaavren apologized as he had made an appointment to peruse some rare manuscripts in one of the Imperial Libraries.

It was also not normally Tazendra's custom to have far worse than usual luck with cards, and to be politely, but as firmly as a barkeep could when confronted with a Dzurlord, asked to excuse herself for the evening. As Tazendra had little taste for drinking alone and the company was not exciting her, either as entertaining antics or as a possible excuse for a brawl, she amicably agreed.

She'd expected Srahi at home, but saw no sign of their Teckla housekeeper. Instead, Aerich sat working on his crochet by lamplight in the front room. He looked up as she stepped into their house and closed the door behind her. "I had not expected you home so early," he commented.

"I had not expected to be home so early," she answered. "It was not a very successful evening." Tazendra removed her boots, leaving them by the door, and padded over to where Aerich was seated. "I hope your own business was more successful."

Aerich gave a shrug that she translated as 'successful enough'.

"A meeting with a lady friend?"

She heard the soft sound of thread rubbing against itself cease as Aerich paused in his word. "Not at all."

"A gentleman friend?"

Aerich raised an eyebrow. "Whatever is giving you such ideas, my friend? It was nothing of the sort."

Tazendra gave her own shrug, which meant nothing much in particular, and went to sit at a chair near Aerich. "Well, I have noticed that, while Pel has his own affairs and plots, and Khaavren seems to be developing an interest in everything the city has to offer-"

"Naturally. He is a Tiassa, and, moreover, one who is new to the city."

Tazendra nodded. "And, as for me, I have no trouble at all finding entertainment. But, when you are not in our company or attending business or on duty, you are most often found at home."

"A fair assessment," Aerich said. "However, I do not understand what that has to do with your question."

"Well, I had wondered if you had any desire for," Tazendra frowned, trying to call the right word. "Diversion."

Aerich considered this. "Well, I happened to purchase a new crochet hook and some yarn while I was away. I am, perhaps, more content with a quiet evening at home, or in the company of my friends, than you are."

"Though, if you should wish a lady friend-" Tazendra began, "I would assert that you would not have any difficulty finding one." Which was true enough: Aerich may not have Pel's dashing good looks and obvious charm, but the quiet dignity he carried was attractive to the right sort of woman.

That and Tazendra respected anyone who had skill with a blade and obviously stayed in practice, one of the traits she knew she shared with many of the Dragons in His Majesty's Guard.

Aerich gave her a brief half-smile, no more than a slight twitch of his lips. "That is kind of you to say, but I am content at the moment. I am not inclined towards the sort of affairs you yourself and our friend the Yendi desire, and I am not seeking marriage at my current station."

"Well, if you are content, then I am content." It was a shame, though. Tazendra fancied herself the right sort of woman.


	3. The Duties of Adults

Set post-_The Phoenix Guards_

* * *

It was, perhaps, a bit more complicated than Aerich imagined to restore Tazendra's titles, but not much. His testimony was accepted by the House, affirming that the former Baron and Baroness of Daavya had been ordered to secure his safety before defense of their holdings… or the honor and pleasure a pair of Dzurlords may get by holding off an army.

The barony had remained as part of the general holdings of the House of the Dzur, seized when the former Baron and Baroness were removed from the house posthumously. Fifty years was not so long for it to have been sold back to the Empire or gifted to another noble, which made it a simple matter to reaffirm the natural succession of Tazendra to her father's place. Her Highness Princess Sennya even agreed to witness Tazendra's formal oath to him as her liege-lord, as well as her one to the Empire… which needed to be reaffirmed in the presence of His Majesty and the Orb, a matter far more routine than the last time the both of them had been called into His Majesty's presence.

The complications came later. After taking leave from their friends in the capital, Aerich and Tazendra - accompanied by Mica - made the journey to Arylle, and Aerich graciously offered to accompany Tazendra to Daavya as she formally took possession of her ancestral lands. "After all," he reminded her, "it is the responsibility of a lord to know the state of those lands held by his vassals."

"Of course, my lord duke."

Aerich nodded. "My lady baroness." It was not strictly necessary for that degree of formality, and yet, Aerich found that both he and Tazendra were fond of their new titles and the restoration of family honor they represented. Consequently, they had been using them far more than friends might need to, as had Khaavren and Pel when they had been together.

The final leagues of the ride to Daavya had Tazendra growing clearly excited on her return home, pointing out landmarks to Aerich and Mica, and attempting to tell stories of her childhood as they rode. "That is the stream in which I nearly dropped my good dagger," she explained. "And, if I am not mistaken, that rock marks a village of farmers who provided the best cheeses for our table."

They were met at the gates of Castle Daavya by the steward who had maintained the estate - and the barony - for the years between Tazendra's parents' deaths and this current day. He bowed to them, and proceeded to direct servants to assist in stabling the horses. "Would you prefer refreshment, my lady, my lord, or do you wish to tour the house and grounds?"

"It was not so long a ride," Tazendra answered. "Let us get straight to business."

The steward proceeded to the tour, while speaking of the business of running the barony. Tazendra continued her own narrative of remembered things from her childhood, but more subdued as she was continually interrupting the steward, who was polite as an Issola and did not indicate he was displeased by Tazendra's unintentional refusal to acknowledge matters he clearly thought more important than childhood stories. And, yet, the weight of the matter seemed to still even Tazendra, and Aerich noticed she got the curious look on her face when confronted with a problem that was not easily solved by challenging the offender to a duel, a sort of struggle between boredom and puzzlement. He remembered that, when they had lived with Khaavren and Pel, she had often allowed others to set her portion of the household expenses, insisting she had no head for sums. Given her studies of sorcery, Aerich would rather believe she had no interest in sums.

When they paused for luncheon, while the steward stopped in the kitchen to converse with the head chef and Mica and the house servants engaged in their own negotiation of roles, he cleared his throat. "My good baroness, you look unwell."

"Bah, it is nothing. Only… blood of the Horse, Aerich, if I had known becoming a baroness would be so boring, I would nearly have stayed in the Guard with Khaavren."

"Then, if I may offer some advice."

"I welcome it. You are quite skilled at advice."

"Your duty as a peer is to rule Daavya and your vassals, and to maintain such laws and facilities as myself, as your Duke, your House and His Majesty require of you. However… not all peers are suited, or are trained, to the management of an estate."

Tazendra nodded, reaching for her water glass. "That is certainly true."

"In which case, may I suggest you retain the services of a steward; perhaps the one who has been so graciously attempting to educate us on the status of the barony?"

"You are wise, as always," Tazendra said. "I believe that will be something of a relief to the steward as well."

"I nearly agree. Though, I dare say, there may be matters such as the barony's defenses that you may find more interesting than road maintenance and taxation."

"In fact, I had some ideas on the very matter that will require a trip to the battlements after lunch."


	4. The Matter of Inheritances

Set between _Five Hundred Years After_ and Tazendra's first appearance in _The Paths of the Dead_

* * *

Mail was not as it was when the Emperor reigned. Aerich had kept his own territories secure, but Tazendra knew that many nobles had been either in Dragaera City when it was destroyed or had succumbed to various calamities caused by the lack of sorcery. And the lack of a proper nobility to levy its own soldiers - or, in some cases, the ambition of certain nobles to be warlords - meant that most no longer made long journeys.

Tazendra herself didn't have a particular problem with this, as brigands preferred to attack Dzurlords in such numbers that she was entertained by the melee. But it was a disappointment once Khaavren and his countess left for Adrilankha and Pel went… wherever Pel went, that she did not hear from them regularly. In truth, she had only found out about Khaavren's marriage some months after the fact.

So, the arrival of a letter from Khaavren and the Lady Daro was sufficient excuse to ride to Arylle and share it with Aerich, even had it not happened that the merchant - who had passed it on from another, one of several such transfers on the road - had two copies, one for her and one for Aerich. And, as it happened, she had some other business that required Aerich's attention.

As it happened, she arrived in time for the kitchen staff to be able to accommodate her for a truly excellent luncheon. It was near the end of the meal, over klava and fruit pastries, that Tazendra finally brought up the matter of the letter. She passed his copy over to Aerich.

"From Khaavren, you say?" Aerich asked as he broke the wax seal.

"Well, Khaavren and the Countess Daro of Whitecrest. I have not opened mine, as I sought immediately to deliver yours to your hand."

Aerich shrugged, indicating she could have easily have sent a servant to attend to the matter, if she wished. "I hope you will not think me rude if I read this."

"On, not in the least, as I came so that we may hear the news of our friend together," Tazendra said.

Aerich opened the letter and read. "Well, then. It seems our dear friend is to be a father?"

"Does it then? Well, that is to be expected, is it not? He is a married man, now, and parenthood often follows marriage, especially when the couple are quite fond of one another." Tazendra hadn't met Daro under the best of circumstances, but she knew Khaavren. He was the sort who would have never even considered marriage unless he was utterly in love, and he lacked the titles and lands to make marriage - or at least an acknowledged heir - a duty.

"It is, but it is still a joyous occasion. I hope parenthood suits him well."

"As do I." The thought of heirs made Tazendra remember the other matters. "Oh, and I received news of my cousins."

"What news?"

"Well, it seems my cousin Ginah had some trouble with a Dragonlord and his army." It wasn't unexpected: Ginah was young, and young Dzurlords often travelled wide to seek their pleasure and fortunes. In general, those that were skilled or lucky - or those which had some useful duty that prevented the more extravagant novelty-seeking impulses - survived to be older Dzurlords.

Aerich, who knew the ways of Dzurlords, having been Tazendra's friend for centuries, merely nodded. "Was she not the same Ginah who is named as your heir?"

"In fact, she is. Which means I need to have you review my will, and choice of heir." This had happened several times since she became Baroness. Tazendra had a large extended family, but, of course, it was a large and extended family of Dzur.

"I will do so promptly," Aerich said. "Thank you for keeping the lines of succession clear for Daavya."

"Bah, it is no trouble, until I run out of cousins." Tazendra smiled at her joke. "And it is not the most onerous of my duties as Baroness. But, now that the matter is taken care of, I should inform you I will be away for some time."

"Oh?" Aerich said.

"While I compliment the job you have done with securing the borders, my dear Duke, it is…" she frowned. "Stifling. Boring, even. So I have decided, with your permission, of course, to go on a quest."

"A quest, you say? For what?"

Tazendra shrugged. "I am certain I will know it when I locate it." Truthfully, she was confident that, even without a clear idea of what to look for, she would find some manner of excitement on the road.

"Well, if you have set orders for your staff, I see no reason to prevent you, now that the area is not at risk of war breaking out." Aerich said.

"If there was a risk of war, I would not be asking to leave," Tazendra answered. "Do you wish to come with me?"

"How, me?"

She hadn't really thought before speaking. Or, rather, she'd mostly considered how she enjoyed Aerich's company, and that if a barony could do without its Baroness, a duchy could surely do so as well. "Yes. If you require time, I could delay my own departure."

Aerich smiled. "I would not ask you to, my dear. I fear that an extended absence would be bad for the duchy, as unsavory types may see it as an opportunity. Perhaps, once you have decided what, exactly, you quest for, you will write to me and I will join you."

Tazendra frowned. It was a bit disappointing, even though she would still have the company of Mica on her journey. But understandable. For that matter, Aerich could even be concerned that the type of excitement she desired would not be to his own tastes - or, indeed, anyone save another Dzurlord. "I will most certainly do that."

And, if it was extra incentive to find something interesting to quest for, why, Tazendra could accept that.


	5. The Trailhead at the Base of the Falls

Set post-_Sethra Lavode_

* * *

Perhaps it was the nature of his death, but Aerich found the loss of consciousness not particularly frightening. Sad, though; it was not comforting to die realizing one had regrets and one would never have the chance to correct them. He could not have even asked Khaavren and Pel to convey his feelings to Tazendra, as she had died minutes before him, in a fashion that Aerich imagined, would have been exactly what she would have chosen.

That was some comfort.

He returned to consciousness at the foot of Deathgate Falls. Despite being half submersed in the waters, he didn't feel wet or chilled… or much of anything. Also fortunately, the broken neck that lead to his death was no longer impeding his movement. He struggled to his feet and surveyed the mists and waters at the base of the falls, searching for the shore and the start of the Paths of the Dead. He could see the remains of those bodies brought to the falls, preserved from decay by some aspect of this place. If he searched, he was certain he would find his own; his friends would have done that much. He wasn't particularly interested in that.

Someone was standing on the shore already, surveying the area for the signs that Aerich was taught would lead one through the Paths. She turned, and Aerich felt his heart leap into his throat; it was Tazendra. She looked as she had when he saw her last, save for the lack of her death-wounds removing a good chunk of her torso. She also had a sword, her sword, either because Khaavren and Pel would never have sent her to the Paths unarmed or because being a warrior was so much a part of her soul that she could not imagine herself walking with side bare.

Her face lifted into a smile so large that Aerich suspected it was infectious and he was grinning back. "Ah, Aerich, my friend!" Tazendra strode back into the shallows and embraced him, and, if Aerich was uncertain as to how two dead souls could embrace in the Paths of the Dead - or even why they two, of all those that died that day, had found one another - he was not inclined to gainsay the gods. Instead he held her back, until they released one another.

"After your death, Sethra Lavode located the cave and was able to seal the rift to the Jenoine," Aerich informed her. "Piro was the one who finally killed Grita."

Tazendra nodded. "Then she was only able to have half her revenge, and at cost of her life. And, well, it did give me a chance that I might not have ever had, to test myself against a Jenoine." Aerich suspected that, even if Tazendra was reborn with no memory of her previous life, she would still feel pride from that accomplishment.

"It was well played, my dear. But, come, why were you standing here? Surely you were not waiting for me?"

"In fact, I was attempting to locate the entrance to the Paths, as I was taught in childhood," Tazendra said. "I believe I have found it."

Aerich had been taught the way through the Paths himself, and, in addition, had been taught that each of the Noble Houses had its own routes through the Paths of the Dead. And, in truth, the stand of thorns Tazendra pointed out looked nothing like what the entrance should look like from his own youthful instruction. He was certain he could locate his own path. But he didn't wish to leave Tazendra's side after their reunion. Duty had kept him away in life, and he wondered if it would be so in death. "I wonder…"

"Well, I have always admired that about you. What do you wonder?"

"If it would be possible for me to accompany you on your path?"

"How, accompany me?" Tazendra looked faintly surprised. "Surely you were taught the way by the House of the Lyorn."

"I do as well as you know what you were taught by the Dzur," Aerich answered, hoping that the disruption in Tazendra's childhood life didn't disrupt her lessons. "But, if there are multiple paths to the Halls of Judgement, then it may follow that it does not matter which path is taken as long as it is correct."

Tazendra nodded. "That may be true! But you will have to follow my instructions. And stand ready to engage in some play of your sword."

Aerich shrugged; of course any path designed to test the mettle of the Dzur would be dangerous, and the Lyorn's path was hardly safe. "In life, I have always valued fighting by your side; in death, I would welcome the same."

"Then, if you will follow me." She offered him her free hand, and he took it.

"I would like nothing better." On an impulse, one that would surprise his friends by its spontaneity, he bowed his head and briefly touched his lips to the back of her hand.

On his death, he was no longer her liege-lord and she his vassal. He didn't even know if the Houses carried in their genes mattered any more: if he was only as much of a Lyorn and she as much of a Dzur as they thought they were. He was no philosopher. What he did know was that this gesture eased some part of the regret he'd carried at death. Here they were simply Tema-known-as-Aerich and Tazendra.

He'd thought he'd seen Tazendra's eyebrows dart up, but by the time he rose to meet her gaze, she was giving him a half-lidded look that was rather more than she'd ever dared to do before. "Well." she said, her voice warm, and her grin wide. "That was unexpected. I nearly think I approve."

Aerich gave her a slight nod, smiling back. "Then, let us walk together and see what comes of this decision."


End file.
